Tampax Tries a Branding Effort

Leo Burnett here moves away from product demonstrations in a new branding campaign breaking today for Procter & Gamble's Tampax tampons. The campaign draws on Tampax's heritage as the oldest brand in the tampon feminine hygiene category. The spots use historical scenes to show how Tampax has "liberated women from their periods," said creative director Chris Hexager. One spot, "Woodstock," recreates the historic music festival with shots of women dancing, embracing and swimming over the Zombies' '60s hit "Time of the Season." There is no mention or display of the product until the tagline, "Tampax was there," appears. "It's about the brand as icon and leader," Hexager said, pointing out that Tampax was the first tampon to be marketed, in 1936. "Imagine how Woodstock would be without Tampax," she said. Print and out-of-home executions will follow. The tag will be the only copy in print ads. The campaign is the first pure branding effort for Tampax, Hexager said. Though Burnett has handled the brand since 1997, its previous ads stressed protection and were tagged, "Without a doubt." The agency opted to move away from product demonstration after focus groups showed they turned consumers off. "Women don't want to see demos. They know what tampons look like," Hexager said. Procter & Gamble spent $29 million on advertising for Tampax over the first 11 months of 1998, according to Competitive Media Reporting. The TV spots were directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1985 for her short film Tales of Meeting and Parting. The director of photography was Peter Sova, who has worked on several Barry Levinson and Merchant & Ivory pictures.

Leo Burnett here moves away from product demonstrations in a new branding campaign breaking today for Procter & Gamble's Tampax tampons. The campaign draws on Tampax's heritage as the oldest brand in the tampon feminine hygiene category. The spots use historical scenes to show how Tampax has "liberated women from their periods," said creative director Chris Hexager. One spot, "Woodstock," recreates the historic music festival with shots of women dancing, embracing and swimming over the Zombies' '60s hit "Time of the Season." There is no mention or display of the product until the tagline, "Tampax was there," appears. "It's about the brand as icon and leader," Hexager said, pointing out that Tampax was the first tampon to be marketed, in 1936. "Imagine how Woodstock would be without Tampax," she said. Print and out-of-home executions will follow. The tag will be the only copy in print ads. The campaign is the first pure branding effort for Tampax, Hexager said. Though Burnett has handled the brand since 1997, its previous ads stressed protection and were tagged, "Without a doubt." The agency opted to move away from product demonstration after focus groups showed they turned consumers off. "Women don't want to see demos. They know what tampons look like," Hexager said. Procter & Gamble spent $29 million on advertising for Tampax over the first 11 months of 1998, according to Competitive Media Reporting. The TV spots were directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1985 for her short film Tales of Meeting and Parting. The director of photography was Peter Sova, who has worked on several Barry Levinson and Merchant & Ivory pictures.